A study on the drivers of canopy reflectance variability in a boreal forest

The degree of which the observable canopy bidirectional reflectance factors (BRF) express plant trait variation at leaf and canopy scales is the fundamental physical basis underlying the use of optical remote sensing data for discriminating tree species and estimating forest biophysical variables. In this study, we quantified the relative contribution of variations in leaf optical properties (LOP), canopy structural properties, and understory reflectance, to canopy BRF variability in a boreal forest, at the spatial and spectral resolutions of Sentinel-2 (S2) Multi-Spectral Instrument. Our approach was based on physically-based forest reflectance model and global sensitivity analysis (SA) parameterized entirely with field measurements. Results showed LOP had dominant contribution to canopy BRF in shortwave infrared (SWIR) in multispecies forest areas, while canopy gap fraction in sensor's view direction (i.e. nadir) was consistently found as the main driver of canopy BRF in red. This implies the satellite-measured BRF in red is the most robust predictor of effective canopy cover (ECC), while BRF in SWIR are optimal for tree species classification based on interspecific differences in mean leaf traits.